In message , Steve Walker
writes
And, to be fair, England is about the same size as the median US state,
the UK about the same size as a large one. Parochialism works both
ways, and laughing at foreigners who misunderstand our geography is in
itself indicative of a fairly inward looking attitude. I wonder how
many people in the UK are unsure of the difference (or distance)
between Washington State and Washington DC?
Quite a number, I should think. Furthermore, few I suspect would have
any idea of distances between - say- New York City and Washington DC.

"The Difference Between America and England is that Americans think 100
years is a long time, while the English think 100 miles is a long way"
I *do* like that! :-)) Is it your quote, Steve?!

The quote from the article was actually "What Tube line runs to
Edinburgh?". Less dumb if what the questioner actually meant was "which
tube line gets me to Kings Cross to connect with the train to Edinburgh",
I bet they didn't mean that, though! I once saw a spoof tube Map
somewhere entitles "Keep London Tidy: give this map to an American"
which had places like Edinburgh and Brighton on the map. My one memory
was that Mill Hill east was labelled "Balmoral"!

or "I'm going to Edinburgh, which way out of this ********?"
At the risk of rising to the bait, London is anything but a "********"
in my view! ;-)
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk